The support and sacrifices made by so many individuals like you have given the children in the community access to a quality Catholic education since 1899.  

In 1991, a couple of St. Mary’s alumni and supporters created the St. Mary’s School Endowment Trust to ensure our doors would remain open for many generations to come.

This trust is a non-profit, tax exempt entity exclusively for general operations of St. Mary’s Catholic School.  It is managed locally and totally by a Board of Trustees as described in the trust document.

Become part of the St. Mary’s Catholic School legacy with a gift to the St. Mary’s School Endowment Trust. You can gift in a variety of ways and at a variety of times.


Gifts to Make Now

• Cash
• Securities such as Stocks, Bonds and Mutual Funds
• Real Property
• Life Insurance
• Mineral Interests
• Qualified Retirement Plan Assets- The IRA Charitable Rollover has been made permanent. Individuals age 70½ or over can exclude up to $100,000 from gross income for donations paid directly to a qualified charity from their IRA.

Gifts to Plan Now and Make Later

You can choose to plan to make a gift later. Making a planned gift may allow you to give a much larger gift while still providing for your loved ones.  Proper planning can ensure that your wishes, desires, and passions are recognized.

St. Mary’s School Endowment Trust and St. Mary’s Catholic School would not have the ability to use a planned gift immediately; however, a planned gift would help insure the future sustainability of Catholic education in West.


How to Give Later

Explore the following planned giving options with the St. Mary’s School Endowment Trust Committee or with your financial planner or attorney:

Will or Trust – Include a gift to the St. Mary’s School Endowment Trust in your will or trust. Bequests can be of any asset you own. A bequest may be made for a specific item, amount, or percentage of your estate.

Life Insurance – Name St. Mary’s School Endowment Trust the beneficiary of an existing life insurance policy or transfer the policy making St. Mary’s School Endowment Trust the owner.

Retirement Plan – Avoid double taxation on retirement plan assets in your estate. Name St. Mary’s School Endowment Trust as whole or partial beneficiary of your IRA, 401K, or other qualified plan using the beneficiary designation form from your financial institution.

Stocks, Bonds, and Mutual Fund Shares- Giving appreciated assets is one of the most tax-efficient ways to make charitable donations. 

Donor-Advised Fund - A simple, easy to set-up personal charitable fund is called a Donor-Advised Fund. This fund allows the donor to get an immediate tax deduction and control how the funds are distributed to charities over several years.


Other deferred gifts

There are several other methods of deferred gifting for donors who wish a private trust.  Examples are Charitable Remainder Trusts and Charitable Lead Trusts.  

With proper planning you can ensure that your desire to support Catholic education is met without compromising your lifestyle.


Get advice

It is always wise to consult a tax advisor or tax attorney to determine your tax benefits of any of these various charitable giving methods.





If you are interested in more information regarding our Endowment Trust, please contact us at endowment@stmaryswest.com

If you are interested in donating, please download an informational form here.  Thank you!